Singer 99 sewing machine from 1951, the Singer Centennial Year.

This is my recently acquired Singer 99. Made in the UK in 1951 as part of the Singer Centennial year, which I found it in a local secondhand shop. It is small and heavy, being around 3/4 the size of Singers model 66 of the same period. I have been casually looking for a vintage "black" Singer sewing machine for a while. This was the first that I have found that caught my eye as worth a second look.

When I found it, it looked in reasonable condition, it had a motor which I was unable to test and the store owner had not tested it either, but the wiring looked very suspect. Turning the hand-wheel made the needle mechanism work, so it seemed in reasonable mechanical condition. There was no noticeable rust other than on the needle plate under the presser foot, which is a sure sign that the machine had not been used in a very long time. The case was a little knocked about, but nothing that was more than reasonable wear and tear. It had it's original instruction manual and a full complement or feet and accessories (as I found out from a list inside it manual). I haggled the price down to what I thought it was worth as an untested item, bought it and took it home for a thorough investigation.

My initial thoughts on the motor proved to be correct. It worked when the foot-pedal was pressed but I also found that it would suddenly start sewing on its own. There was obviously something amiss. Looking at the wiring of both the pedal and connections socket revealed nothing concrete so I put the pedal to one side, took the motor off the machine, pending having it seen to by someone electrically qualified.
Once the motor was removed, turning the hand-wheel became a little easier but it did not seem too "free" as I would have expected. Time to look at some obvious places for issues, that meant removing the machine from its wooden base by tipping the machine backwards, releasing the screws that clamp the hinges to the machine and pulling it free.
Oh boy was it dry underneath! There was no sign of rust on the mechanism, but equally no sign of oil either. That was the first job to sort out. Oil every moving joint on the underside with sewing machine oil and work the oil in using the hand-wheel to turn the machine over. After a few minutes, there was a noticeable change in freedom of movement.
Next, I removed the needle bar assembly cover (and gave it a polish). Inside the needle bar assembly was dry of oil, dirty and had more than its fair share of fluff. The fluff was brushed out, the dirt I wiped away (no rust evident in the needle bar assembly), then I oiled all of the moving parts, including the presser foot pressure bar mechanism with sewing machine oil and worked it in using the hand-wheel once more to turn over the mechanism. Again there was a noticeable change in freedom of movement, so I refitted the cover plate and moved down to the bobbin and hook mechanism.
Unscrewing the needle plate, sliding out the bobbin cover and removing the bobbin revealed this machines only horror story, dirt and fluff. In fact, there was so much compacted lint in the bobbin area that I had o use a stiletto, very delicately to loosen a lot of it sufficiently to remove it gently with a stiff brush. I took a lot of time working in the bobbin housing but it was worth it. Once clean, a sparing application of oil then putting everything back together and returning the machine to its wooden base for a test sew with a new needle.
To my surprise, everything worked fine and the machine formed as a pretty decent stitch, but there seemed to be one small issue with the tension which initially would not adjusting at all. I found that there is a pin inside the tension mechanism, this was jammed in place through lack of use, one drop of oil and working the presser foot lever up and down for a few minutes freed it. (The presser foot lever releases the tension discs when it is raised.)
Now it was decision time. Do I have the motor looked at professionally, obtain a new motor and foot pedal (yes new motors are available) or obtain and fit a hand crank mechanism. As I did not want to put too much investment into an as yet unproven machine, I elected to order a second-hand crank from e-bay, which took almost a week to obtain.
During the wait, I spent at least an hour daily, turning the machine over, and oiling anywhere that had dried out and it was paying dividends as the machine was now very free running. I fitted the crank as soon as it arrived after I had given it too, a light oiling.

The machine has it's original (empty) oil can too

Now, this machine is 66 years old, has been used and neglected in equal measure, but with a few hour work  (and I am no trained mechanic) it was working, sewing as well as the day it was made. One further issue did come to light though. There was something not quite right with the bobbin winder mechanism. A new rubber tyre  (again from e-bay) and a few adjustments put that right too.
I have also invested in a new needle plate to replace the original that has a really bad, large rust spot in the chrome finish. That plate is on its way to me now.
First impressions of the machine so far.....
Remembering that this is a straight stitch only machine, now hand cranked, with the potential to fit a modern motor and foot pedal, I have to say that at 66 years old this machine would be a great introduction to sewing for anyone, young or older. The machine is smooth, sews a great lockstitch, is precise and easy to control. I have tried it through eight layers of denim, which was close to the limit or the rise of the presser foot. I went through it with ease, as it also did with 4 layers of vinyl suitable for making bags and 4 layers of light/medium weight leather all using a standard universal needle and hand cranking the machine.
The main limitations for this machine revolve around knit fabrics and buttonholes. Though it readily sews knits at present, using a straight stitch on knit fabrics is not ideal. The fabric's inherent stretch will snap seam stitches made with a non-stretchable straight stitch when the fabric is stretched. Knits are best with zig-zag stitches. Buttonholes need a zig-zag stitch too, which this machine does not have.
Can these be fixed? Yes. There are secondhand attachments available for both buttonholes and zig-zagging, but they can be as rare as hen's teeth in good, usable condition, so may not come cheap.

There was a surprising quantity of feet/attachments with my machine, which opens up a whole world of uses for a novice/intermediate sewer. I will go into these in the future, but so far I have to say that there is very little that I can say to not recommend a Singer 99 as an excellent little machine for a novice sewer. I guess there are many people of my age that grew up wearing complete wardrobes of clothes that their mothers made on a little Singer machine, just like this one. I know that my sister did. My mum loved to make her dresses and petticoats on her Singer treadle machine (I think her's was a model 66, the bigger daddy to the 99).
I see no reason for not assuming that with reasonable maintenance there are not more generations of use in this solid machine.